Manchester Confidential is getting better

Editor Jonathan Schofield on how Manchester's only truly independent magazine is growing

Manchester Confidential is about to have a growth spurt. We want to be better, with broader appeal, more information and more offers.

We’re not changing though.

We’ll still be Manchester’s principal independent magazine. We’ll still have all the features, the food reviews and the opinions and we’ll still give readers superb offers, competitions and promotions.

And in Manchester we’ll still be the only press - online or otherwise - with a significant readership who dares to be cheeky, spiky, humorous and offer a full uncensored right of reply to readers (within certain boundaries, of course). This has been underlined in recent weeks with our articles about the Super-casino, Policing in the city centre, the Panacea situation and Lynda Moyo’s defence of the beauty contestant. Sleuth and Gordo will continue to patrol the streets looking for silliness and seriousness.

So what’s changing? Over the next week or so a menu will start to grow on the left of your screens featuring key areas of Manchester life. In alphabetical order these will be Architecture and Design, Art, Cinema, Comedy, Food and Drink, Gay, Literature, Mind and Body, Music, Shopping, Sport and Theatre.

Each of these sections will have a main feature appearing at least once a fortnight, usually once a week. The features might be review led as is the case with art, cinema, theatre and food and so on or it might underline aspects, issues, individuals, problems, successes and so forth in those areas.

Where appropriate the sections will also give the fourteen day Confidential Choice. To avoid the noise and bedlam of listings we’ve asked our writers to pick out the best in Manchester over a fourteen day, two weekend period. This will give readers direction over how to spend their dosh.

It’ll be a ball: part of the way in which Manchester Confidential can pick out aspects of life in the city we love which are currently missed or deliberately avoided.

Not so much change then as evolution. As the independent magazine of Manchester owned by Mancunians and based in Manchester, we hope you enjoy what’s coming. We know you’ll be the first to let us know if you don’t.

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Can you not have some kind of dating thing in this Mind and Body section. Would love to write some of this for you, and would guess the people of Manchester would love to know some more information on where the best places to date were, flirting tips and how to bag the one they want for partners....

Richard, I stand by every one of the words. We will be independent. Or rather we'll be independent by the parameters through which the press have traditionally been measured. Watch and see. All media organisations have to earn money and sometimes that means compromise, that's clear. But under my editorship we'll compromise as little as possible. And that will mean very rarily I assure you. We'll also support certain things which to some might appear biased but in that case so be it.

Jonathan shame on you !!!!Independent ???Your indie magazine is both biased and prejudiced . The one way of avoiding any objective assessment by your reviewers is simply to become an advertiser and never a negative word will emanate from your veritable organ!!!!You cannot claim virtues you do not deliver and suggest objectivity when the necessity to earn money is in conflict with the desired degree of journalistic integrity . Satisfy me that you can meet your own criteria.I fear not.